Accessible Van For Shannon

I put together this go fund me page in hopes to eventually raise enough money for a life long best friend of mine. Her name is Shannon. Shannon was unfortunately born with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. I met Shannon in 4th grade. Several times throughout our school years I had some kids come up to me and ask me if it looked like Shannon was walking funny. I being one of her best friends never noticed at first. To me Shannon is and always will be the most beautiful, kind hearted person I have ever met. I never looked at her to be different. Although her good friends didn't notice her being different Shannon always felt like something was wrong with her. She told me she just knew something was not right. She could not keep up with other kids her age physically. At the age of 14 she finally had enough and her mother took her to get tested at Nemours. That is when her worst fears came to light. She always thought something was wrong with her, and sure enough she was right. She was diagnosed with Limb Girdle MD and was told it would only get worse from that point on.  Throughout the years I personally have witnessed Shannon's decline. From what I know about Limb-Girdle MD the severity of it just depends on each individual.  Before we knew it Shannon was no longer able to sit down and stand up on her own. That lasted for several years and we could see it was slowly getting worse. In 2019 Shannon was in the hospital on and off about 5 weeks with pneumonia. She really struggled because her diaphragm is not strong enough to cough things up like it should. That is due to her MD. She was in and out of ICU during that stay.  Unfortunately that hospital stay caused her to take a turn for the worse physically. My best friend could no longer walk after that. With MD if you don't use your muscles you will lose them quickly and are unable to get them back. She was no longer strong enough.  She would stand in place for a short time but that was it. About a year after her stay her 60 year old mother who tries so hard to take care of Shannon the best she could dropped her while getting her out of a car. This caused Shannon to break her ankle. After 8 weeks in a cast my Shannon can now no longer stand up. She is completely disabled and wheel chair bound.  

At this point Shannon is in desperate need of a handicap accessible van. With most, if not all of her muscles in her legs/arm being deteriorated it is becoming extremely difficult for her loved ones to transport her in and out of a vehicle. It is not safe for Shannon or the person caring for her. If Shannon is able to get a handicap van, she can live a close to normal life. Right now she is limited to where she can go. Most days she stays home and I can tell she is sad and depressed. She wants more than anything to be a mother involved in her sons schooling. Her son is in Pre-K right now and will start kindergarten in August of this year. 2021. Shannon has to rely on other people taking her son to school on his first day, or picking him up from school on his last. With her not having the strength in her body to stand up it is nearly impossible for her to be apart of those special life moments with her boy. She would also love to get out and do family fun stuff as much as possible. At this point we don't know how long her life span is with the Limb Girdle MD. All we do know is throughout the years Shannon does struggle more with breathing and this condition does affect the heart and the lungs as well.

As much as I hate to admit it I have noticed the decline in Shannon and it breaks my heart.  I grew up around a messed up family, I was like the black sheep and always felt like I had nobody. Shannon has filled that void in many ways. She is always just a phone call way. When I say I do not know what I would have done without Shannon in my life I truly mean that. I know I am not the only one who feels that way either. Shannon is a person that has always loved everybody no matter who they are and what their flaws are. She will find the good in any person who crosses her path and help them in any way she possibly can. Rather it be a shoulder to cry on, a ride when she was able to drive, a couch to crash on for a week, or money to satisfy your hunger. Shannon would do whatever she could!

All funds donated will go directly towards Shannon getting a handicap accessible van. If she is able to get safe transportation I know it will mean the world to her. She will be able to be the mother she so badly wants to be. It will make it so much easier for her to go to outside events for her son. Or go places she enjoys. She will no longer be limited to where and when she can go somewhere. I miss more than anything being able to just hop in a vehicle and ride around with my best friend. It will mean the world to me as well. Shannon is not sure what her lifespan is with her condition. I know she worries about that every day. She deserves more than anything to be able to get out and enjoy the rest of her life rather than being stuck at home wishing she could go all the places her friends, family, and most importantly son go.